8 Simple and effective tips for nursing newborn

Congratulations on your newborn! After months of wait and taking care of yourself, waiting for the life inside you to come alive in this world and see the light of the day, you are holding your baby in your hands. How wonderful the feeling is to have that life in your hands, which you have nurtured in your body for nine long months! As happy as you are, you also need to be prepared for what is coming. Nursing newborn and raising a child is, well, not a child’s play. The initial few months of nursing the newborn after the delivery of the child are the most crucial and equally difficult ones.

It is important for you to understand the challenges awaiting and be prepared for the necessary actions and measures. No, we are not trying to teach you disaster management, however, we sure are trying to help you enjoy the beautiful period of nursing the newborn while managing all the curveballs that this new phase might throw at you.

We bring you ten simple tips that will help you prepare and work towards a planned and well-sorted nursing period for the new born baby.

Whatever you are going to do with the baby, have it in mind, Oh, great mother, that you are going to do that with pleasure emerging from your bosom of heart in full.

1Breastfeeding- Positions and Tips:

Breastfeeding is one of the most natural acts and equally important part of nursing newborn. It takes patience, practice and learning how to hold and support your baby in a comfortable position.

Here are a few positions to hold the baby:

The cradle hold: This classic breastfeeding position requires you to cradle the baby’s head in the crook of your arm. Sit in a chair that has supportive armrests or on a bed with lots of pillows. Rest your feet on a stool, coffee table, or other raised surface to avoid leaning down toward your baby.

The cradle hold often works well for full-term babies who were delivered vaginally.

The cross-over hold: Also known as the cross-cradle hold, as in this position you support your baby’s head with your arms switching roles.

If you’re nursing from your right breast, use your left hand and arm to hold the baby. Rotate his/her body so their chest and tummy are directly facing you. Hold them with your thumb and fingers behind his head and below his ears, guide his mouth to your breast.

The Clutch hold: As the name suggests, in this position you tuck your baby under your arm like a football or handbag. Position your baby at your side, under your arm, so that they face you with the nose level with your nipple and the feet pointing toward your back.

Rest your arm on a pillow in your lap or right beside you, and support your baby’s shoulders, neck, and head with your hand.

Reclining position: This position is to nurse while lying on your side in bed. Take the help of several pillows placed behind your back for support, or under your head and shoulders, and one between your bent knees, too. The goal is to keep your back and hips in a straight line. Also, it is with the aim of keeping breastfeeding mother to have no discomfort resultantly on the kid.

With your baby facing you, draw him/her close and cradle the head with the hand of your bottom arm. Or, cradle his head with your top arm, tucking your bottom arm under your head, out of the way.

Here are some things you should know about breastfeeding your baby:

If the baby is getting enough food, it will produce 6-8 wet diapers a day, along with steady bowel movements.

Nurse about 8-12 times during the first 24 hours of baby’s birth. There is no strict schedule, but should nurse whenever your baby shows signs of hunger, from increased mouthing and activity to looking for your nipple. A nurse, at least, every four hours, even gently waking your baby to feed her if necessary.

Make sure to get comfortable. Feedings can take up to 40 minutes, so pick a comfortable position from the ones listed above.

Never to leave monitoring the urination and bowels of the baby and try to change the diapers or the cloth cover as often as possible.

The room or place where mostly the mother and the baby sit or sleep to be made as the cleanest place possible.

2Nursing newborn with Formula Feeding:

It is an individual choice to choose whether to formula feed or breastfeed your baby while nursing newborn. According to some studies, breastfeeding may be healthier for the baby, however, you also have to consider your own health and convenience and a variety of other factors before making this decision.

can make it easier to know how much you’ve fed your baby, to limit the number of feedings, and to not have to restrict your own diet.

A few tips to keep in mind while you execute formula feeding:

Make sure to follow the directions on the label of the formula when you prepare it.

Sterilize new bottles.

Feed your baby every two or three hours, or whenever he seems hungry.

Discard any formula left out of the fridge for over an hour or any left unfinished by the baby

3Sleeping- Schedule for yourself and your baby:

If your infant isn’t eating, he’s probably sleeping. Newborns can sleep as many as 16 hours of sleep a day but only in short bursts. This will leave you feeling on constant alert and more exhausted than you ever thought possible, leading to severe sleep deprivation.

Your only goal is to care for your baby. You’re not going to get a full night’s sleep, so you can either be tired and angry or just tired.

Decide to take shifts between both the parents to get sleep as good as on alternative nights. Also, make sure you use all the time you get to sleep when your baby is sleep. Follow the mantra to sleep when the baby sleeps.

In case, the baby has trouble in sleeping, try multiple methods to make the baby fall asleep.

4Involvement of Father:

Not only will you want to rotate shifts with the father for the keeping up with the baby at night, but you also need to plan distribution of work with the other parent.

It is not only necessary for you to share this responsibility for the sake of your well-being, but is also important for the baby to have the involvement of the father in nursing and nurturing from the initial stages of the growing up.

If required, you can also ask the father to take time off work, and accompany you in all the little things involved in the nursing newborn.

5Soothing

Every child has a mind of its own and so are the cranks and the crying. It will take you some time to understand what the child wants and how to soothe him/her.

Since your newborn is used to the comfort of your womb, give them the treatment under the sun. Swaddling, shushing, and swinging, as well as allowing babies to suck and holding them on their sides, may trigger a calming reflex.

Play tunes which soothe the baby. While changing diapers, give them a warm wrap, which will not only keep it clean but also soothe the baby. A warm bath can also help the baby to relax.

6Bathing the baby:

During the first week, you should carefully give your baby a sponge bath. Once the umbilical chord falls off, you can start bathing your baby regularly, around two to three times a week.

To do this the right way, you should gather your supplies, such as towels, soap, a clean diaper, etc, in advance, so that your baby isn’t fussing around. Fill the tub or baby tub with about three inches of warm water before you begin the bath.Interact with the

7Interact with the newborn

You may be surprised at how quickly your newborn will learn a language that you start interacting in with them.

Not only do they love when you talk to them, but their brain also processes the information that you are giving them. You need not put any question of the understanding the language of yours by the child and go on talking to the kid as much as possible and in singing and whispering tones also.

Involve them in your everyday work by talking with them, and be prepared for the surprising reactions that you will get from them, most of them being the memorable ones.

8Visit the Doctor regularly:

Your baby will have frequent visits to the doctor during its first year, for scheduled check-ups and shots.

Many first new-born visits occur just 1-3 days after you and your baby is discharged from the hospital. After that, each doctor’s program will vary slightly, but you should generally take your new-born to the doctor, at least, two weeks to a month after birth.

It’s important to schedule regular visits with your baby to make sure that your baby is growing normally and receiving the necessary care.

Nurturing a new born is a task one cannot enjoy if one has not mastered the art to deal with the uncertainties and the amount of work involved. Preparing yourself with these tips and tricks will only help you better raise your new-born. Do not hesitate to take all the help needed and always keep the doctor in a loop for the developments on the baby.

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